Taking a stand for righteousness
Village Parkway Baptist Church, San Antonio
DENISE R. MARCOS
B E A CON W R I T E R
"Stand up for truth and walk in that
faith with certainty." These are the
words Dr. Steve Branson, Lead Pastor
for Village Parkway Baptist Church in
San Antonio, lives by every single day.
He recognizes that taking a stand has
an influential effect on the community.
It is the main reason he continues to
be a voice for Christians across the
country. It is the reason he has done
so on many occasions, for multiple
reasons. And today, in the midst of
attacks on Christians and Christian
businesses, the chances are increasing
that you too will need to stand up and
take a stand.
“When faced with difficult
decisions, a decision to take a stance
that could ruin your reputation, your
career, really your life — be strong and
do what is right,” Steve says. “Always
speak truth, but do not be resentful or
unkind to others. Always approach
opposition in the most levelheaded way
you can. That is what the Bible teaches
us, and we must act in such a way.”
For more than 30 years, Steve has
ministered to San Antonio residents
through his work as a church leader, a
serviceman for those in need and a
counsel to his parishioners.
“As a pastor, I have a pulpit responsibility
to preach God’s Word. If I want
people to hear truth, I have to do it in a
way that is respectful. When faced
with an obstacle of having to defend
something that you believe to be true,
you have to know your subject. So, I
work hard every week to make sure I
do. I don’t use what I said 20 years ago
to address issues of today’s culture,”
Steve says.
These philosophical values have
helped shape his ministerial success.
Today, for his courageous and influential
work over the last six years, he is
nationally recognized for having paved
the way for religious rights.
In 2013, Steve learned that one of
his church members, Senior Master
Sgt. Phillip Monk — who had served in
the military for 19 years — faced
religious discrimination from officials
at Lackland Air Force Base. Phillip’s
religious freedom was under attack.
His job, pension and reputation were
scrutinized. As his friend and pastor,
Steve publicly spoke out about the
injustice against Phillip. Both men
faced an uproar of disapproval
throughout several media outlets on a
local and even national level.
“During this time, the church was
under fire and many who did not
understand the scriptures regarded us
as a hate church. We had to put police
on the grounds because we had some
really bad phone calls coming in. I was
getting emails by the thousands, phone
calls by the dozens. Most of them were
good, but we got some really, really bad
ones,” the pastor recalls.
Pastor Steve Branson, Lead Pastor of Village Parkway
Baptist, Todd Starnes of Fox News and Senior Master
Sgt. Phillip Monk of Lackland Air Force Base stand
together. Fox’s national news reported in 2013 and
2015 in-depth details regarding the controversial
crackdowns Phillip faced.
July 2019 www.saBeacon.com 11
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